The present invention generally relates to medical instrument positioners for use during surgical or examination procedures and, more specifically, to a microscope positioner pivotally connected to a patient support such as a lift and recline chair.
Microscopes are increasingly being used to perform delicate surgical procedures such as radial keratotomy (RK) procedures. During such procedures, the surgeon must be able to accurately and securely position the microscope over the surgical site such as over the patient's eye during an RK procedure. In addition, it is very desirable for the surgeon to also be able to move the microscope away from the surgical site and then quickly, accurately and securely back over the site as necessary before, during and/or after the surgical procedure.
Past support apparatus for surgical microscopes have included fixed supports in which an adjustable mounting arm having a microscope attached at an outer end thereof is fixedly mounted adjacent the patient. Unfortunately, many times such fixed support of the microscope assembly does not provide the surgeon with enough mobility and flexibility when positioning the microscope with respect to the examination chair and the patient. Moreover, the fixed support base, e.g., an adjacent table or stand for the microscope mounting arm, must be sufficiently stable and/or heavy to withstand and counteract the moment created by the mounting arm and the relatively heavy microscope attached at the outer end thereof. Finally, fixed supports limit the locations at which the examination chair may be placed within the examination room.
A supporting apparatus including a vertical pole riding on a base supported by casters, much like an I.V. pole, has also been used to support a microscope and an adjustable mounting arm attached at an upper end thereof. In this apparatus the mounting arm for the microscope is attached to the upper end of the pole and the relatively heavy microscope is attached at an outer end of the mounting arm. One disadvantage of this type of support is that the multiple caster supported base of the apparatus must be formed as a cumbersome, bulky unit to provide enough support to counteract the moment created by both the mounting arm and the microscope. Another disadvantage is that the bulky base takes up a large amount of space in the examination room. Finally, the rolling vertical pole is not quickly and accurately positionable with respect to the examination chair and the patient. In this regard, the casters at the base of the pole allow the pole to be moved in any direction and therefore positioning the pole with respect to the patient is awkward.